The Natural Killer [NK] Cell plays a critical role in regulating the innate and adaptive immune response to pathogens, injury and stress. Although originally portrayed as primarily a lytic cell, the NK cell has emerged as a cell capable of helper function, expansion, contraction, and accelerated memory responses - features similar to other adaptive immune cells. It is a professional accelerator of immunity, mediating dendritic cell maturation and its precursors critical for the origin and development of secondary lymph node structures. NK cells also play an essential role in mammalian placentation by regulating the quality of blood supply to the growing fetus. These characteristics place the NK cell in a unique position, with a major role in sculpting the host response to damage and injury. This volume is the first complete and authoritative reference to explore these emergent, exciting aspects of the NK cell, placing it at the center of damage/danger recognition and the response to stress. Natural Killer Cells details NK cell biology, the role of NK cells in regulating immunity through interactions with other cells and tissues, the participation of NK cells in disease and special topics in NK biology. By Michael T. Lotze, Departments of Surgery and Bioengineering, University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, University of Pittsburgh Schools of the Health Sciences, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA and Angus W. Thomson, Departments of Surgery and Immunology, Thomas E. Starzl Transplantation Institute, University of Pittsburgh Schools of the Health Sciences, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA Table of Contents: I. NK BIOLOGY; Developmental Stages and Pathways of NK Cell Maturation - Grzywacz, Miller, Verneris; Developmental Origins of Thymus-Derived Natural Killer Cells - Carlyle, Zúñiga-Pflücker; Interferon-Producing Killer Dendritic Cells (IKDC) - Housseau; Natural Killer Cells in Cancer - Höglund, Ljunggren; NK Cell Immune Recognition: NKG2D Ligands and Stressed Cells - López-Larrea, López-Soto, González; NK Cell KIR Heterogeneity and Evolution - M. Yawata, N. Yawata; Signaling Events in Natural Killer Cells - Epling-Burnette,Wei, Djeu; Human Natural Killer Cell Development - Briercheck, Freud, Caligiuri; II. NK INTERACTIONS WITH OTHER CELLS; Isolation, Culture and Propagation of Natural Killer (NK) Cells - Magee, Vujanovic, Butterfield, Vujanovic; The Localization and Migration of Natural Killer Cells in Health and Disease - Bekiaris, Lane; Receptors on NK Cells - Stern-Ginossar, Mandelboim; Development and Testing of NK Cell Lines - Klingemann; NK Cell-derived Cytokines and Delivery; NK Cell Synapses - Semino, Rubartelli; NK Cells as Recipients of Cytokine Signals - Loux, Lotze, Zeh; NK Cells and Chemokines - Gismondi, Bernardini, Santoni; Natural Killer Cytolytic Activity - de Armas, Podack; Illuminating Intranodal Natural Killer Cell Behavior Using Two-Photon Microscopy - Garrod, Cahalan; Dendritic Cells and NK Cells - Wesa, Mailliard; NK and NKT cells: The Innate- Adaptive Interface Including Humoral Responses - Subleski, Weiss, Wiltrout, Ortaldo; NK Cell and Endothelial Cell Interactions - Gismondi, Carlino, Stabile, Santoni; NK Cell/Epithelial Interactions - Ito, Paus; NK Cell-T Cell Interactions - Chambers; III. NK CELLS IN THE TISSUES; NK Cells and NKT Cells in Cutaneous Disorders - Balato, Gaspari; Natural Killer Cells in the Respiratory Tract - Mehrad; Intestinal Natural Killer Cells - Goodier; Natural Killer Cells in the Liver - Qian, Fan, Qiu, Xiao, Lu; Natural Killer Cells in the Spleen and Lymph Node - Karlsson-Parra; Natural Killer Cells in the Central Nervous System - Shi, Ransohoff; NK Cells in the Eye - Niederkorn; NK Cells and Reproduction - Moffett, Male; Identification of Natural Killer Cells in Tissues and Their Isolation - Carrega, Montalto, Ferlazzo; NK Cell Immune Regulation: Coordination of Immune Function in Tissues - L. Moretta, A. Moretta; IV. NK CELLS IN DISEASE; Natural Killer Cells and Transplantation - Matta, Thomson; Natural Killer Cells and Autoimmunity - Münz; Interaction of NK Cells with Bacteria - Chamoto, Wakita, Koizumi, Masuko, Ikeda, Mitamura, Nishimura; Natural Killer Cells and Human Immunodeficiency Virus - Mavilio, Hosmalin, Scott-Algara; Cytomegalovirus Infection and NK cells - Coudert, Andoniou, Degli-Esposti; Natural Killer Cells in Allergy - Lin, Lee, Yan, Kuo; Natural Killer Cells in Wound Healing - Liippo, Toriseva, Kähäri; Natural Killer Cells in Atherosclerosis - Getz, Reardon; Natural Killer Cells in Leukemia - Rey, Fauriat, Moretta, Costello, Olive; Natural Killer Cells and Allogeneic Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation - Velardi; Clinical Trials of NK Cells for Cancer - Cooley, Miller; Natural Killer Cells and Hepatitis C Virus Infection - Nalesnik, Kanto; Natural Killer Cells and the Biology of Parasitism - Norris, Bryan; Lymphoproliferative Disorders of Natural Killer Cells - Morice; V. SPECIAL TOPICS IN NK BIOLOGY; Natural Killer Cell Induction of Tolerance - Lu, Zhang, Camp, Qian; Genetic Engineering of Natural Killer Cells - Goding, Basse; NK Cell-Mediated Target Cell Death - Packard, Komoriya, Ucker; NK-Cell Tracking Using Non-Invasive Imaging Modalities - Jha, Reinhart, Knopp, Liu, Wels, Wendland, Daldrup-Link;
